The Legend of Zelda: the Wrath of Majora
by Nightwing2013
Summary: Majora's Mask AU. What if Link and Navi had parted with clear understanding after a heartfelt discussion? What would have happened to Termina if Skull Kid still stole Majora's Mask? Rated T to be safe. Suggestions of Zelink.
1. Prologue: the Salesman's Plight

**Hello fanfic readers! I'd like to say quite a few words before I present my first ever fan fiction chapter. Firstly, I do not own anything in this chapter. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is not mine. Nor are the other characters that will be presented throughout this story.**

 **I believe a quick explanation is needed, as well. The prologue, especially the description of Skull Kid without the Mask, was inspired by the Unreal Engine video on YouTube. Also, I have never liked the game theory regarding Majora's Mask. Ocarina of Time was always my favorite game in the series (although, I have never played BotW, Spirit Tracks, Phantom Hourglass, the Oracle games, or Zelda II: Adventure of Link), and I believe OoT Link deserves a happy ending. So, enough personal rambling.**

Prologue The Salesman's Plight

The happy mask salesman was heading home to Hyrule after acquiring his newest -- and most dangerous -- magical artifact. He had always been a curious fellow, so when he heard that joyous and mysterious cackle while wandering through the magical Lost Woods, he looked around for its source. Finding nothing and being unwilling to wander off of his predetermined path, he shrugged and trudged on.

A few minutes later, he heard it echo again. This time, it made the hairs stand up on the back of his neck.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" He asked cautiously, and, not for the first time, he was glad that his mask was snugly keeping up his bright and cheery façade, as he was beginning to fear that he had taken a wrong turn. He knew, however, that if he had, he would have no way of returning to the path, so he looked around for a moment before continuing, seeing no one nearby.

Then, without warning, the salesman was pitched forward into the low-lying folliage, blacking out.

"He's coming around," a small, female voice said as the salesman slowly regained consciousness.

"Shush," said another small voice, this one subtly male.

Opening his eyes, he almost thought he was dreaming, for he saw not one, but _two_ distinctive looking fairies fluttering above him.

"Who cares," declared another voice, this one shrill and decidedly unnatural. "We got what we wanted."

This statement caught the salesman's attention, and he jolted into consciousness, jumping to his feet, thinking _bandits._

What he saw was not your typical bandit. It was a childlike creature, with thin, lanky limbs, dark skin and a broad-rimmed orange hat that came up to a rounded point. He sported a brown baggy shirt with a yellow design decorating around the neck that reached to his knees, where

When the little boy turned with a familiar, ethereal giggle, the salesman noticed that the skin wasn't true skin at all. It was _bark_. This was a Skull Kid. Looking under the shade of the hat, the Hylian noticed that this particular skull kid had a mischievous glint in his green eyes that looked down a short, rounded beak that sported matching mischievous smirk.

"Whatcha got there, Skull Kid?" Asked the male voice, coming from the purple fairy.

The fairies approached Skull Kid, drawing the Salesman's attention to the mask in Skull Kid's hands.

 _Oh no_ , the masked salesman thought upon seeing which one it was from behind. The mask was shaped like a heart with spike-like decorations protruding outward lower "stem" portion, four on each side and two directly at the top of each "love". The eyeholes were small and round, one positioned in the center of each "lobe" of the heart, while a small slot was positioned so that it was invisible from the decorated side, to allow for comfortable breathing.

"Looks like a mask," stated Skull Kid, peering curiously at it.

"Cool! Try it on!" Said the female voice, emanating from the lighter fairy, glowing a yellowish off-white.

"Please don't!" The mask salesman interjected worriedly, "that mask houses an evil spirit that possesses the wearer!"

"Pff, because anyone's going to believe that!" Retorted the clicking voice of the Skull Kid as he rolled his eyes. As he said this, Skull Kid turned the mask around in his hands so that the purple, red and

"It's true!" Exclaimed the Mask Salesman, now panicking as Skull Kid ignored him and strapped on the mask.

What happened next astonished the Happy Mask Salesman, even though it only lasted a few seconds. Tentacles, seemingly made of shadow, were emitted from the protrusions, and wrapped around Skull Kid's head as his eyes momentarily displayed panic before his pupils contracted into small points, his irises contracting until they were only slightly larger.

The red eye borders combined with his yellow corneas to give a truly eerie look.

"HAAAAow do I look?" Asked Skull Kid with a sudden decrescendo as he bent down to brush off some dirt from his shirt, revealing the dirty brown shorts beneath them.

"Wonderful!" Exclaimed the fairies in unison, seemingly having not noticed the rapid changes in their cohort's demeanor.

"Come on Tatl, Tael," he commanded his two cohorts, walking away from the still-stunned Mask Salesman. "I want you to meet some old friends of mine, and we're going to play a game to get their attention!"

"Oooh! What kind of game?" Asked the purple fairy excitedly.

"You know, terrorize some Terminans by dropping the moon on their head while they celebrate the moon festival. The usual," Skull Kid replied with a nonchalant tone.

"That sounds like fun!" Exclaimed the purple fairy. "Are you coming Tatl?"

Tatl, the yellow fairy, faced the Happy Mask Salesman and seemed to hesitate before replying, "I'm right behind you," And she zoomed off in the direction of the others.

The Happy Mask Salesman took a minute to process what he had witnessed before panicking and sprinting off towards his original destination.


	2. Navi's Decision

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my own plot (if that).**

 **Chapter 1: Navi's Decision**

 _Nine Months Earlier_

The blue light of the time-stream faded around Link as he stepped back from the Master Sword's pedestal in the Temple of Time. He was exhausted, both from the time travel and the battle preceding it.

 _What do I do now,_ Link wondered. Before he could begin to elaborate on his future, a voice spoke up nearby.

"Link, we need to talk."

Link turned to find his constant companion and best friend fluttering next to him.

"What's up, Navi?"

She paused, as if finding the right words, and Link was about to tease her for it when she said, "you're not going to go back to Kokiri Forest, are you?"

It was Link's turn to hesitate before he replied, "don't get me wrong, Kokiri Forest will always be my home, but, as the Hero of Time, I feel as though I'd be neglecting my duties if I didn't stay in Castle Town to make sure nobody stirs up trouble."

Navi giggled and teased, "hehe, you're just trying to protect a certain Princess of Wisdom, aren't you?"

"You know me too well, old friend," he replied with a slight blush, while gesturing towards the Door of Time. "Anyway, shall we walk?"

"Link… I can't," came the fairy's reply.

Link stopped mid-stride as he processed this. Curious, he waited for her to elaborate, to no avail.

There were a few long seconds of silence before Link turned around, fighting a tempest of emotions in the pit of his stomach as he asked, "may I ask why?"

Navi was still fluttering in place, and her bluish glow dimmed a little as she replied, "deep down, I feel that you know the answer. I would like to ask that you try to keep a level head as I explain, but that's quite a thing to ask of a 10-year-old Hylean boy." She paused a moment, her glow returning to its original intensity as she continued simpathetically, "as you know, fairies are one-half of a whole Kokiri.

"You, like it or not, Link, are a Hylian, not a Kokiri, and therefore, my other half is still out there."

Hearing this, Link flashed back to his own wait for the fairy, and the long, lonely life that he had led before the Great Deku Tree had sent Navi to fetch him.

 _If she's right, do I really want someone else to suffer through that?_ He wondered, _do I have the right to make that decision?_

He had a feeling that the answer was not his to give, so he reluctantly agreed with her, "on one condition. We need to see Saria together first."

When Navi quickly agreed, they walked out of the room together, and Link was startled as he heard the Door of Time automatically rumble shut behind them.

"What the heck?" Link exclaimed in confusion. Almost frantic, he rushed down the ramp to the front of the alter that should have held the three Spiritual stones to find only empty slots where they should have been.

"Something is seriously wrong here..." Link muttered before turning towards Navi and continuing, "Now we really need to see Saria."

Reaching into his enchanted, bottomless pouch, Link dug around for a minute before pulling out a pine-colored, wooden ocarina. Compounding Link's confusion was a shallow coat of dust that hid the natural striations in the wood caused by the growth of the tree from which it was made.

Link wiped off the dust from the Fairy Ocarina, and, once he was satisfied, he raised the mouthpiece to his lips, intending to play a tentative note. Instead of singing music, the Fairy Ocarina coughed out a cloud of dust and wood shavings.

Surprised, Link unintentionally inhaled through his nose, sending him into his own coughing fit as some of the dust pushed past the protective hairs inside his nose, entering his larynx.

Navi sneezed and commented, "let's try that again, shall we?"

Rolling his eyes, Link did as he was told, this time succeeding in playing the magical Minuet of Forest.

Lowering the Ocarina to his side, Link blinked as he was engulfed in the green light that engulfed his body, magically transporting him 15 miles, up through one of the high windows of the Temple of Time, leaving it magically intact.


	3. Saria's Confusion

**A/N: The next few chapters are going to be mainly exposition and dialogue, so they may read a bit slow. It'll get more interesting soon, though, I promise.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda or any of the characters mentioned in this story. If I did, OoT 3D would've been rated M for sexual content XP.**

 **Chapter 2: Saria's Confusion**

When Link opened his eyes, he found himself standing in an unnaturally square clearing surrounded by woods.

Blinking a few more times to allow his eyes to adjust to the dark, Link took in the scene around him.

He was standing on a great raised dais, hexagonal and metallic. It was decorated with the four-leafed swirling pattern of the Forest medallion overlapping the inner edges of the Triforce. Behind him to the South, he knew, was a stretch of healthy green grass that never seemed to grow, ending at the top of an ancient stone stairway due South, with a gossip at the Southwestern corner.

Ahead of Link, to the Northwest, was a tall, healthy tree with a full canopy of leaves, excluding the long limb that stretched out across the northern side of the clearing, 20 feet up. In the middle of the outstretched branch was a wide swath of bark-bald wood, positioned directly above another long staircase. The stone of this staircase, though, had long since crumbled into eroded rubble until a yard south from the branch's high-noon shadow.

At the top of the crumbled staircase was a gaping hole, which Link knew led into the Forest Temple, whose structure was barely visible due to the vines and various foliage growing from its walls.

In the Northeast corner of the clearing sat a tree stump which was cut at the perfect height for the sage who sat upon it.

Saria appeared exactly as he remembered her (not surprising, considering the Kokiri would never age), with a natural bob of clean neon hair suspended above her right eye. Garbed in her usual long-sleeved green tunic and matching oblique-green tights above her brown leather boots. Her eyes wer closed as she used continuous breathing to play her beautifully _allegro_ tune.

Though her intonation was a quiet _mezzo piano_ , her Fairy Ocarina was enchanted so that her melody could be heard throughout the lost woods, guiding travellors to this Sacred Forest Meadow.

Link stood a few moments, listening intently to Saria's Song, until Navi fluttered across the clearing to meet with Saria's own fairy. Link approached a few seconds after Navi, making his presence known in a relieved tone. "Good afternoon, Saria."

To Link's amusement, Saria perceptibly jumped, cutting off the tune mid-beat, but in the distance, the magical tune could be heard as though nothing had happened.

Opening her eyes, Saria sighed in relief as she laid them on Link's smiling face. "Link! I didn't hear you coming," she exclaimed happily.

Link's smile widened as he replied cheerily, "Just one of the many little tricks I picked up on my adventure."

"Adventure?" Saria queried, her head cocking to the side, "Link, sweety, you've only been gone a day. I would hardly call that an adventure."

Link's jaw dropped in surprise before he stuttered, "N-no way! It's been at least a full-!" Link paused in sudden epiphany before rolling his eyes as he continued with an annoyed sigh, "Ugh, sometimes I hate time travel." He slouched in exasperation.

Saria giggled at the absurdity of his statement before exclaiming, "Great Hylia! You're serious!"

It was then that she finally looked in his eyes and read the age and immense sorrow in the eyes of the boy she had raised for a little less than ten years. "Well, it looks like you two have quite the tale to tell," she continued, glancing at Navi, "shall we retire to my home for lunch while you tell it?"

At the word "lunch," Link visibly perked up, making Saria giggle, thinking, _typical Link, only interested in food and friendship._

After Link quickly agreed to her suggestion, Saria stood and wiped invisible dirt from her tights.

They walked to Kokiri Villiage without a word, as Link was absorbed in the process of organizing his thoughts into a single, comprehensible story.

Upon entering her home, Link broke his silence. "Where to start… Oh! First, tell me what you know about what's happened here."

"Well," Saria answered, busying herself chopping up some vegetables for a salad, "yesterday, the Great Deku Tree sent Navi to accompany you to meet him. The next thing I knew, the Triplets were telling everyone that he had died. You were absolutely distraught when you found me on the bridge outside of town. I gave you my Ocarina, and you ran."

Link nodded and sighed before replying, "From the beginning, then. Before that, though, is there anything that I can do to help you?"

"You really have matured!" Saria teased, noting his vast improvement of etiquette before instructing him.

Within 5 minutes, they sat down and began eating. Link attacked his food like a starved wolfos for a minute before beginning his tale.


	4. Link's Decisions

**Author's note: Sorry for the delay, I've been working my butt off to finish my associates degree this summer. Now that I have finished that, I hope to update more regularly. No guarantees, though.**

 **I am having Link tell his story in the order that I always play Ocarina of Time: Child Quests, Forest, Fire, Water, Spirit, and Shadow.**

 **Disclaimer: The author claims no rights to any character, event, place, or idea contained within this story. All rights belong to Nintendo and the creators of the Legend of Zelda.**

 **Link's Decisions**

Link's story took longer than Saria expected it to. He talked for almost a full eight hours, pausing only for breathing, eating supper, quick sips of water, and the occasional bathroom break, while Saria listened with avid interest, only interrupting to ask the occasional question.

Link was finishing his tale of his trials in the secret Ice Cavern behind the Zora's Fountain when he yawned widely and looked around the room. To his surprise, it was almost midnight.

He sighed, "hey, Saria, it's getting late, and I'm exhausted. Can we continue this tomorrow?"

"Sure," Saria replied through a yawn of her own.

They decided to reconvene around noon the next day before Link began to head to his treehouse.

Noticing Navi's pensive silence, Link assured himself of the distance from Saria's hut before asking, "you're unusually quiet. Is something bothering you?"

"A few things, actually," Navi replied hesitantly. "The first of which is why you told the truth about the Forest Sage's identity."

Link noted his fairy companion's cryptic statement and replied in kind, wary of unseen presences. "Well, since the Great Deku Tree is no longer here to protect the forest, the Forest sage needs to know his or her role in order to pick up the slack."

"Very mature of you," Navi teased. "I thought you were just being proactively lazy."

"Well, there is that," Link giggled before changing the topic. "But, anyway, what's your plan? Do you need somewhere to stay overnight?"

They were approaching the steep decline that led to Link's treehouse as Navi answered, "actually, I thought that I should stay with you to keep up appearances until you leave."

Ascending to the top of the wooden ladder and entering his empty doorway, Link expressed his consent before stripping off his gear. He leaned his Kokiri Sword against his headboard so that it would be easily accessible in the improbable event of an emergency, and then he draped his belt with the magical pouches over his wooden Kokiri Shield at the foot of his bed before laying down. Before he could even marvel at his first time spending a night at home in a month, the fatigue of his recent battles caught up with him, sending him into a dreamless, restful sleep for the first time since before he met Navi.

* * *

Alighting at the crack of dawn, Link immediately jumped out of his bed, stretched, and geared up before he went for a refreshing run through the woods. When he paused to catch his breath an hour later, he thought to himself, _why did I bring my gear? It's not like anything out here could catch me off guard. Heck, even if they could, I could probably incapacitate them with my bare hands._

After another hour of running, Link's stomach had begun to protest its emptiness with loud growls. Cooling down, Link soon found a stream populated with fish and deep enough to bathe in.

Half an hour later, Link returned to Kokiri Village, rested, clean, and fed to find Saria at the foot of his ladder, calling his name up into the empty treehouse.

A mischievous grin spread across Link's face, and he silently stalked his way to within a foot from Saria's back.

"You know, I really do appreciate your help and all," he casually remarked, "but I wake up just fi-"

 _SMACK!_

As Link had begun to talk, Saria jumped, and, not realizing who was speaking, she spun around to defend herself from her unsuspecting perceived assailant, cutting him off mid sentence.

"OW!" Link exclaimed, clutching a hand to the pink hand-shaped addition to the childish facial features on his left cheek.

Saria's eyes widened, realizing that she had just smacked her best friend across the face. "Link," she exclaimed worriedly, "you startled me!"

"Hehe, it's okay. I had that coming. Remind me never to get you angry," he gasped, holding a hand over the afflicted skin, which was rapidly turning a deeper pink.

After hesitating for a moment, Saria asked, "So, shall we continue our tale?"

After his agreement, they trekked to her hut, with him once again talking the whole time.

The story took another six hours, with a break for lunch. Link told Saria everything, including his feelings for Zelda and Navi's choice to stay in Kokiri village.

When all was said and done, there was a brief pause before Saria looked to Navi. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. Especially now that you know what the future holds."

Link hesitated before interjecting, "I understand that you have no desire to leave the forest, so if there is ever a time when you need my help in protecting this place, I have a song that will transport you directly to the Temple of Time. From there it's just a brief walk to the castle. Will you learn it?"

With Saria's consent, he taught her the _Prelude of Light_ on the Ocarina.

* * *

The next two days were a blur, during which time Saria somehow organized a surprise farewell party with every Kokiri in attendance.

It was towards the end of this party when Link saw a wiry figure silhouetted against the night sky. The figure was standing on the edge of the cliff that held the entrance to the Lost Woods, swaying to the music.

Curious, Link excused himself momentarily, and made his way up to the figure.

As he approached, the figure turned to face Link, and, recognizing the mischeivous, cursed denizen of the Lost Woods, he subtly became more alert.

"Hello, there, you're a Skull Kid aren't you?" Link asked.

In response, the Skull Kid nodded its head almost imperceptibly but for the tilt of its hat and soft sound of wooden wind chimes that always accompanied its movements.

Remembering his manners and what the Skull Kid usually wanted, Link introduced himself, asking, "Well, Skull Kid, my name is Link. You were wanting to learn this song, weren't you?"

After an excited nod, the Skull Kid drew out its oboe, and Link proceeded to teach him _Saria's Song_.

* * *

The next morning, Princess Zelda was secretly watching her father receive the Gerudo procession, when a sound startled her.

Turning around, she found a boy of about her age, armed to the teeth and dressed in a forest-green tunic, kneeling at the bottom of the courtyard's steps.

"My lady, with all due respect, I have some news regarding your recent dreams…"


	5. Royal Introductions

**Author's notes: About two weeks ago, I was accepted into a University last-minute, so I have built a 3 chapter buffer to keep you guys interested as I go back into my busy study schedule. (Now all I need to do is find the time and motivation to transfer the chapters from my handwritten notes into a FanFiction Story document)  
Also, I have edited Chapter 1 ("Navi's Decision") on 2 September 2017 to rectify a rather large paradox that would have presented itself in future chapters. I will likely be going back to add in a few details here and there in other chapters, too, which I will announce in Author's notes as well.  
Finally, with that said, I would like to apologize for taking so long to get to the actual ****_Majora's Mask_** **story, but that story wouldn't be as fleshed out without me doing a lot of background, since it vastly differs from the cannon.**

 **Disclaimer: All rights pertaining to characters, places, objects, and established events from** ** _The Legend of Zelda_** **in this story belong to Nintendo. Any rights to the plot are debatable.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Royal introductions

Zelda, though suspicious, found herself to be inexplicably curious as to what this intruder meant. Quickly collecting her thoughts, the Princess of Hyrule decided to take the cautious approach.

"What could a common _boy_ such as yourself know of the inner workings of _my_ brain?"

Link's intuition told him that Zelda was putting on a brave face, forcing herself to use her best imitation of a haughty, pretentious noblewoman addressing the town beggar. Keeping his head bowed as he struggled to keep a straight face, Link played along as he replied, "Though I cannot hope to understand the workings of those minds in the noble classes, I have heard from many on my journey from the Kokiri Forest that the Princess of Hyrule is the most kind and caring of all of the Hylian peoples, and the rumors conveyed by the most wise of her subjects conceive her wisdom to be far beyond that of a mere twelve-year-old child."

His resolve to keep a serious, solemn expression failed at this point. Instead, the expression on his face morphed into a mischievous grin as he continued, "Perhaps my lady is not, in fact, the Princess Zelda I am looking for? If so, I must immediately inform those guards that, not only were they oblivious to the twelve-year-old boy infiltrating the castle armed to the teeth, but their ignorance allowed said boy entrance to the very courtyard they are supposed to protect. Not to mention the fact that, inside said courtyard, he found the most stealthy and prestigious of all of the Sheikah tribe guarding, not the Princess, but an imposter, who is seemingly identical to Her Royal Highness in every way!"

Having completed his teasing, Link began to raise his eyes, intending to giggle at the angry expression that he expected to be plastered on the Princess' face, but instead, he was met with an well-trained mask of seriousness, betrayed only by the wide eyes that conveyed shock, with a hint of concern.

Before he could even finish comprehending the concern that flashed through his future ruler's eyes, the reason behind it was made evident by a pressure on his left shoulder, accompanied by the cold steel of a blade against his throat.

A warm breath along his cheek was all that warned Link of the impending threat to be delivered by the serious voice belonging to Impa.

"While I applaud your ability to perceive my presence, I suggest you clarify your own presence here, before the young Princess witnesses how lethal - How did you put it? - 'the most stealthy and prestigious of all of the Sheikah tribe,' can be, no matter the age of her adversary." The gravelly voice was no louder than a whisper, yet it conveyed the threat clearly, without mincing words.

Link was partly satisfied by the fact that his battle instincts weren't dulled by the new timeline that he seemed to be a part of, for he had to stop his left hand from reaching for the Kokiri Sword on his back. He could see how his death would cause his crush even more trauma than he could imagine, which was saying something.

Clearing his throat in discomfort, Link quickly discovered a new skill in his tactful response. "I-It seems that I have gone too far," he stuttered. "My name is Link, and as an infant, I was entrusted to the Great Deku Tree by my mother as her wounds took her from this world. It is on his dying wish that I come to you, carrying an item that would prove my sincerity. The item resides in the pouch on my left hip, if someone would retrieve it."

Impa's response was almost imperceptibly quick. Removing both of her hands from Link, she took a step to the left. Spinning into a low crouch, she reached into her belt with her left, while her right hand reversed its grip on the knife. Using the momentum of her spin, one quick slash from the knife severed the leather straps that connected the pouch to Link's belt. Before gravity could take hold of the pouch, however, her left hand threw a dart, which impacted the wall directly to the left of the window, through which Zelda had previously been staring, impaling the pouch and anchoring in the wall with a soft _shink_ as it slid into the stone.

All of this was followed up by Impa returning to her original position behind Link, and, since it took place during the span of a single blink from the Princess, he could not blame her for the confused expression that she gave Impa when the Sheikah ordered, "Open it."

Zelda looked left, then right, before noticing the metallic sheen of light reflecting off of the dart. Crossing over to it, the Princess detached the pouch from the wall and gasped as the Kokiri Emerald fell from it into her open palm.

"This is..." Zelda stared at the jewel in her hand, hesitating, before commanding, "Impa, release him and station a guard on either side of the courtyard entrance. We will not be interrupted, except in the case of an emergency."

When Impa had left to do as her Princess had commanded, Zelda's stare turned to Link, softening remarkably as she addressed him. "It troubles me, but I believe you. Sit. When Impa returns, you will tell your story. Leave absolutely nothing out, or I feel that our whole world will be endangered."


	6. Scheming

**[Disclaimer:] I do not own _the Legend of Zelda_**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Scheming**

When Link had finished his story for the second time in a week, the courtyard fell silent, but for the trickling of water flowing toward the entrance.

Zelda was the first to speak up, "If what you say is still our future, we must plan accordingly. You say that each of the Hyrulean species was visited by the King of the Gerudo prior to his visit here?"

Link could almost see little gears whirling rapidly in her head as he nodded, wondering what she would ask of him this time.

"Then we must prepare accordingly," continued the Princess as she turned to Impa, "send word to my father's herald. You and I need to speak with the King in private, as soon as possible."

"Turning back towards Link's stoic expression, Zelda sighed, "As you say, my father does not believe that my dream is any more than a fantasy, but, if the other species of Hyrule send word of his threats through a messenger of the guard, I believe my father will see what kind of man Ganondorf truly is.

"Unfortunately, the guard will not send a new recruit, even one as dedicated as yourself, on a dangerous mission like this. Therefore, I shall speak to the captain of the guard, and I will see to it that you are trained as my own personal bodyguard." Seeing Link's eyes widen in response, she let out a giggle. "Of course, Impa will still be there, but in public, you will appear to be just a very skilled squire. This will reduce the visibility of the Sheikah, and the enemy will infer that the Sheikah have fallen from grace, thus springing the trap."

Hearing the Princess' strategy allowed Link to find his voice again, rising from his position on the ground and bowing, "You honor me, my lady. I will not disappoint you."

This earned him a grin and an eye roll. "Please, when is just the three of us, you may call me Zelda."

It was Impa's turn to speak, interrupting the adolescent flirting. " Princess, I believe your father will be upset if you miss dinner. After all, the royal family must keep up appearances."

Finally noticing the late afternoon twilight, Zelda practically shouted, "Oh no! I'm afraid we must reconvene at a later date. For now, Link, it is time to point out the holes in our castle security. When they detain you, explain your intention to join the guard. I will speak with Captain Morgan after dinner. Now, go!"

Feeling the hour, Link obeyed the princess, rising and approaching the guards outside the entrance of the courtyard. As he got within earshot, however, Link's mischievous mind formed a plan unbidden, and of course, Link couldn't resist a good prank.

"I say," Link exclaimed in a haughty voice, drawing attention to his presence, "I lose my tour guide for two minutes and end up not thirty meters from the Princess of Hyrule! The boys back home'll never believe this!"

With that statement, he was surrounded by guards, their sharp, polished spears pointed menacingly at his throat.

Grinning, Link asked, "Was it something I said?"


	7. Interrogation for dinner

**Disclaimer: All rights pertaining to _the Legend of Zelda_ , (including, but not limited to, its characters, items, events, and continuity) belong to Nintendo. Any copyright infringement is unintentional, and I do not profit off of this fan fiction.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Interrogation for Dinner**

In the royal dining hall, Zelda was politely inquiring the status of the Gerudo negotiations when two elite guards burst into the room.

Stunned silence prevailed for a moment before the senior officer, as signified by the purple plume mounted on his helmet, stepped forward to address the king. "My Lord," he began in an informative, yet commanding tone, "an intruder has been discovered and captured in the castle. Standard security procedures dictate that any visiting parties be escorted by a squad of my fellow elites to their quarters, which are being searched for additional infiltrators as we speak by no less than two dozen royal guards."

"In that case," the King of Hyrule said, rising from his elaborately decorated dining chair and turning to his Gerudo counterpart. "I must apologize, my Lord Ganondorf, but, for your safety, I must insist that your delegation do as my guards ask. We will continue our discussions tomorrow at noon."

Ganondorf rose with a convincingly worried expression plastered on his face, before replying with a bow, "As you wish, your highness. Should you need any assistance, send for Nabooru, my most trusted general, and she will be at your disposal."

"That is very generous of you, but it is unnecessary."

* * *

After the Gerudo procession had departed, the King returned his gaze to the pair of elites standing at attention on either side of the entrance to the dining hall, giving a curt nod.

The senior officer saluted before continuing to brief his King, "The intruder was found in the courtyard shortly after her highness left. He did not resist, but, since he was heavily armed, he was escorted to the dungeons to remain until Lady Impa is ready to interrogate him."

"Very good," the King commented as Impa dropped from the rafters of the vaulted ceiling, causing the guards to jump slightly. "Wait outside the doors until the all clear is sounded. Impa is sufficient protection for now."

The guards bowed and exited, closing the doors behind them, whereupon the King turned to address his herald, "Leave us."

As the herald was obeying his King's order, Impa leaned down to Zelda's ear, whispering, "If I didn't know you any better, I would think you worried for this intruder."

This good-humored teasing caught the Princess by surprise, causing her to blush momentarily before she got her emotions back under control.

Impa's face, however, remained calm as she continued in a more serious tone, "If he does this again, though, I'll kill him."

Blinking in shock, Zelda looked at her father as he walked toward the window situated behind his chair at the head of the table before replying in a whisper of equal volume, "Get in line."

"This had better be good," the sovereign of Hyrule addressed the other two beings in the room as he looked out of the window.

Impa was the one who responded, "My Lord, the Sheikah information network has relayed worrying reports. Both the Zora and the Gorons have stopped all communication with their neighbors. I suggest sending a royal messenger to deliver an announcement of the impending Gerudo declaration of allegiance." Glancing at Zelda, Impa continued, "There have also been sightings of a boy dressed in the garb of the Kokiri traveling towards Castle Town from the direction of the Lost Woods."

There was a pause before the King questioned, "Is that all you wished to inform me?"

Finally, Zelda spoke up hesitantly, "Father, if I remember correctly from my studies of Hyrulean law, a unanimous vote is required from the leaders of each tribe in order to admit a new tribe into the alliance. It is also my understanding that an envoy has yet to be sent with the proper summons for a vote. Do you wish to restart the civil war that claimed Mother?"

Immediately seeing through his daughter's ruse, the King replied with a touch of anger, "The dream again? How many times have I told you that it is just a DREAM?! It is _nothing_ more!"

Frustrated with her father's persistent negligence, the twelve-year old rose from her chair, which was situated to the left of the Kings, and shouted, "Is your infatuation with this race of women blind you to the thought that my concerns may be legitimate? Are you blind to the fact that, since you invited the Gerudo out of the desert, the people have been reporting increased Stahlchild sightings at night? Is it so impossible that a boy with the courage of a warrior might come to warn you of what your new _bedfellows'_ intentions are?"

" _ **SILENCE!**_ " The King's bellowing voice forced the white-hot rage coursing through the young girl's veins to freeze into cold, heart-stopping fear and regret.

There was a pause of panting from both parties involved before Zelda's voice returned, "I apologize, Father. I went -"

"It seems that you need some time away from this monarchy. After the negotiations are over, and the vote has been held, you are going to travel West to Termina and stay there until after the Moon's festival in eight months. There, perhaps you will learn both respect and the reason why our family does not hold elections for the throne." The King interrupted with a calm, stern manner.

Before Zelda could reattempt her apology, the bell at the Temple of Time tolled thrice to signal the all-clear, and the King continued, "Impa, escort my daughter to her chambers. Have the guards outside attend to her security. I want a full report on our intruder, from his statement to his armament to his method of infiltration."

Zelda once again attempted to speak, but was cut off by a glare from the King. "I will have your meals delivered to you, and your tutors will come to you in your chambers for your instruction. You will not mention any of this to the Gerudo delegation when you attend the summit tomorrow, and you will not leave your chambers unless I send an escort along with Impa to fetch you. Good night."


	8. Dungeon Trouble

**A/N: I'm sorry this took me so long. I've been busy with work and school, plus my 9-year-old MacBook finally died on me. Also, I'd like to thank my 3 favorites and 7 followers do their patience.**

 **Disclaimer: all rights pertaining to the _Legend of Zelda_ series, characters, places, and music belong to Nintendo. No profit is obtained through the writing of this fan fiction. **

* * *

Link was cold.

After the guards had detained him, they led him down a dozen beautifully decorated winding corridors and staircases before they went through a single, undecorated, wooden door. Behind the door, there was a spiral stone staircase leading down into the cold, damp depths of the dungeons.

Once there, the guards stripped him of all of his garments, sorting them on a table with his weapons. Thank the Goddesses they're not going through my pockets! Link thought as he was thrown unceremoniously into a lonely cell near the entrance. That would blow up in ALL of our faces.

Link covered himself with his hands and asked, "I suppose this isn't the right time to tell you I intend to join the guard?"

One of the guards looked up towards another, whom Link assumed was the captain, but the latter guard didn't react. Instead, he picked up a wooden tray from the table, and walked to a chest in the corner, which he then rummaged through for a while.

After what seemed like an hour, the guards who had escorted him left, and Link lost interest. Instead, he found the driest corner of the cell, and curled up to keep warm.

Time passed excruciatingly slow, and, by the time he heard the door open again, Link had counted exactly how many bricks were in his windowless cell.

Once the door did creak open, all of the guards that remained lined up along the wall opposite his cell, going to attention as Impa descended the staircase.

Returning the guards' salutes as she entered, Impa looked at the boy in the interrogation chambers. He was lightly muscled, from what she could see of his shivering form.

 _Wait. Why is he_ -, Impa thought before an exasperated sigh escaped her lips. "Who was it that thought it wise to throw a pubescent commoner into the interrogation chambers naked?"

The guards shifted uncomfortably before the captain spoke up, "We thought it fitting, my lady. He was, after all, about to accost the princess on her way to dinner."

At the word "dinner", a growl echoed from the interrogation cell, causing Impa to roll her eyes.

"Give him back his tunic and undergarment, and someone get a pot of tea over the fire. We don't want our intruder dying of hypothermia before trial."

The guards obeyed, and while Link got dressed, Impa approached his belt of pouches.

"Has anyone begun documenting his possessions?" Impa asked the nearest guard, who had just returned from the small, locked armory at the base of the stone steps.

The soldier in question appeared only a few years older than his prisoner as he carried a sloshing kettle in his right hand, over which he had donned a smithy-styled leather glove. He continued towards the fireplace opposite the stairs as he answered, "No, madame, that was to be my next duty."

"Hurry it up then. I'm curious to see just how well armed our intruder is."

* * *

Another hour passed while the Sheikah and her underling emptied his pockets and documented each item in his possession. Link looked on in apprehension at first, but after his two captors had expertly defused his two dozen assorted bombs and bombchu, he drank his tea without worry.

As Link finished his second cup of the warm drink, Impa asked to be left alone with the prisoner. The small squad of guards that was filtering in and out of the area complied with her request, leaving her with his possessions along with the wooden tray, which the captain placed on the table with a metallic clink.

As the last soldier left, Impa's impassive expression morphed into a scowl. She picked up her clipboard from the long table and approached Link's cell, listing his possessions as she did.

"Clothing: One child-sized green tunic, one pair of children's boots, child's undergarments, one green hat, two heavy Goron bracelets, one Adult wallet containing 500 ruppies, and one belt with three enchanted pouches.

"Weapons: one child-sized short sword, one child's wooden shield, one adult's Hylian Shield, one wooden slingshot with a pouch of 40 Deku seeds, 40 bombs, 20 bombchu, one boomerang, 10 Deku Sticks, and 20 Deku Nuts. Well armed, indeed."

Impa glanced up at Link as she removed a ring of keys from her belt and continued, "If I wasn't sure whether to believe your story earlier, the next section would have convinced me," she said as she unlocked and opened the door to the interrogation chamber. "Curiosities: One wooden ocarina; one pair of adult-sized golden gauntlets; one pair of adult-sized iron boots; two adult-sized tunics, red and blue, respectively; one pair of magic hover boots; one adult's long sword; one adult's bow with 40 arrows; one longshot; one Biggoron's hammer; five fairies in five bottles; one Gerudo insignia; and one Gerudo mirror shield.

"By the way, those last two are sufficient evidence to execute you on charges of espionage, so I swiped them before they were documented."

Link breathed a sigh of relief, "I suppose I owe you for that."

"How does one owe more than one's life?" Impa replied, "I take it that they didn't believe you when you requested to join the guard?"

"No ma'am, they did not." Link replied solemnly.

"Well then, this could get interesting."


	9. of Pardons and Employees

**A/N: I should really be studying, but I figured I should make up for my time away. Feel free to leave a review! Also, metric conversions: a meter is a little longer than a yard (exactly 3.28 feet), and a kilogram, also called a "kilo" is equivalent to 2.2 pounds.**

 **Disclaimer: If I owned the Legend of Zelda, I wouldn't need loans to get through college.**

* * *

Early the next morning, Link awoke to the loud creaking of his prison cell door. When he opened his eyes, the captain of the guard was glaring at him.

"Your presence has been requested by the King. Get up, and put these on," the captain said as he unceremoniously threw a belt along with his boots and Kokiri tunic at Link's face.

Link's mind felt like it had been thrown into the freezing water in Zora's domain, so profound was his panic. He attempted to smooth his hair, which turned out to be futile, as usual, got dressed in record time, and completely forgot about breakfast.

He was then led back into the castle proper and through a confusing number of corridors, which were increasingly and disturbingly familiar, as they gave flashbacks — or were they flash-forwards? — to his one-man siege of Ganon's Castle.

They finally arrived at a set of solid oak doors, each measuring at least 15 meters tall by 5 meters wide, intricately carved with the crest of the royal family centered in the crease. A pair of pike-wielding guards flanked the doors, and, as they saw the captain approach, they snapped to attention, saluting with their respective right hands, while their left hand tapped their pikes on a hidden mechanism, which opened the doors.

Link inhaled sharply as he took in the throne room, which he had only seen once before, from one of the two dozen windows currently to his right.

It was a massive room, at least 100 square meters of marble floor space, leading to the King's table at the far wall. Behind the doors were stacked a plethora of benches for counselors, scribes, and various other members of the court to sit when they were needed. Currently, however, the occupants in the room seemed to be senior members of the guard and soldiers, all of whom were staring at him with expressions varying from disdain to curiosity to disinterest.

Finally, as he was lead over the half-way point of the hall, he looked straight ahead at the King's table. On the King's right stood a Hylian man that Link didn't recognize, while to his left stood Impa, whose calm stare clearly communicated his purpose here, _stay in line and play along._

In the center sat one of the largest Hylians Link had ever seen, his expression very stern as he stroked his white beard. On his brow sat an ornate golden crown decorated with rubies, and inlaid with the Royal family's crest.

Almost hiding behind her father, was Zelda, in the same cap and dress that he had met her in the first time. He almost missed her as his escort knelt in front of the king, announcing, "The prisoner, as requested."

Following his guide's example, Link also kneeled, bowing his head as he did so.

"Rise, child," commanded a deep voice from the direction of the throne.

Link did as he was ordered, despite his confusion. He found himself looking curiously at the man in front of him, and saw his own curiosity mirrored in the eyes of his liege-lord, though it was masked well behind the visage of stern disapproval.

"I am told that you were given the task of testing our defenses. Is this true?"

The question almost shocked Link into telling the truth, but his instincts told him that he would be cast into much less hospitable lodgings if he did. Instead, he gave a silent nod.

The gathering of soldiers behind him shifted and murmured momentarily before a glare from the Sheikah silenced any objections.

The king sighed in exasperation and continued, "speak frankly, tell us your name and your findings."

"Yes, my lord," Link's voice cracked. "I am Link of the Kokiri, and I was given the mission of infiltrating Hyrule Castle's courtyard. This mission was achieved easily, despite the clamor caused by 25 kilos of gear on my back. The trickiest part was avoiding the guards stationed at the entrance to the courtyard, who were slightly more attentive until sundown, when they began to become impatient for their relief. At that point, they were sufficiently distracted for me to walk right between them."

"Impossible!"

"The Kokiri are a myth!"

"How dare he?!"

"Who is this guy?"

"Stealthy little…"

"SILENCE!" Boomed the voice of the king over the outraged soldiers, who immediately obeyed their king before the latter continued to interrogate the boy, "if you avoided detection as you say you did, then how, may I ask, were you apprehended?"

Link could feel his face flush as he directed his quickly formulated reply towards the floor, "My liege, I only recently left my home in the forest for the first time, so when I saw the Princess walking into the castle from the courtyard, I became so overwhelmed by her beauty that I forgot my mission. I was detected when I began speaking aloud."

A few chuckles were heard from the front rows of the audience behind Link, but they were short-lived as the king began to speak, "I admire your honesty, son, and I am amazed that you made it so far into the castle without being detected. In fact, I believe you could teach my guards a thing or two about vigilance and stealth. Therefore, I am inducting you into the guard under the direct command of Impa."

This statement shocked Link into looking back up at the king, but not before stealing a quick glance at the Princess, whose eyes were wide in surprise, subtly betraying her mask of indifference.

"Do not mistake this as either an encouragement or a pardon," continued the king in a stern tone. "I still do not trust you, and if any evidence reaches my desk concerning any questionable actions from you, I will not hesitate to have you executed on the spot."

The king raised his eyes from the boy to address the gathering of guards, "As for the rest of you, your duties are the same, but remember this lesson. Even though we are at a time of peace, there are still those who worship the dark forces through violence. Be vigilant at all times. The results of this test will be posted after the child's debriefing, and you are expected to follow all recommendations contained therein. Dismissed."

The guards in the room snapped to attention and began filtering out. After a few minutes, the only ones left were the elite personal guards of the two royals along with their charges, the scribe, Impa, and Link.

After the large doors had closed with a boom, the king sent a glare at his daughter, who, in turn, sent a worried glance to Link before quickly retreating through a hidden side door with her guards in tow.

The king once again addressed the future hero, "Impa will be in charge of your training and assignments. There will be no disobedience towards her or any other ranked guardsman, and you are not to wander the castle without an escort. Consider your service probationary until further notice. Dismissed."


	10. Tension

**A/N on October 19, 2018: I know, I know, I updated my fic without a new chapter! Sorry, but I have a midterm to study my butt off for. This update is just to let you all know that I have a poll up on my profile concerning the future of this story. I know my fellow Americans are tired of hearing it at this point in the midterm election season, but please vote so I know what you guys want!**

 **Disclaimer: I claim no rights pertaining to the Legend of Zelda, its characters, music, or plot. I only own my own original plot and characters. Also, my inspiration for the layout of Hyrule Castle can be found by entering "Zelda Universe Ocarina of Time Hyrule Castle" into Google Images. It should be the first result, and from there, I used my knowledge from beating BotW 2 times (including once with all shrines completed) to elaborate from there.**

 **Also, I can't believe I missed this story's one year anniversary, so this chapter is extra long to make up for it : )**

* * *

 _Klang!_

The sound of metal striking metal echoed off of the stone surrounding Link as he redirected a blow from his opponent. The steal armor that encased his body had taken quite a while to get used to, but his opponent didn't know that.

The opposition wasn't a very good fighter, and Link easily saw the next swing coming. Sidestepping the downward slash of the opposing claymore, Link proceeded to step on the blade and slam his shield into his opponent's helmet, dazing and disarming his opponent simultaneously, before swinging into the neck of his enemy.

"And there's your head," said Link humorlessly, his blade pressed into the side of his superior's neck, lightly enough to be felt without drawing blood.

The man at the other end of Link's blade sighed, wincing, "did you have to bash me so hard?"

"If you telegraph your moves like that against a real opponent, you won't have to worry about your ringing ears," Link replied, stepping off of the knight's long blade.

"Where'd you learn to jump on a blade like that?" The knight asked as he took off his helmet, revealing the eighteen-year-old's youthful face and dark hair.

"I learned by watching my shadow," came the ambiguous, yet completely honest, reply, which earned a raised eyebrow.

As the knight's response was about to come, the doors into the training yard burst open with a low whine, admitting a page a few years younger than Link. The boy paused just outside the door, blinking rapidly while his eyes adjusted from the dark, torchlit corridors of the barracks to the bright afternoon sun, before spotting Link and making a beeline for him.

"You are Link of the Kokiri, correct," inquired the page.

"I am he."

"I apologize for interrupting, but Lady Impa has summoned you to the Princess's chambers, sir."

Link nodded in response before turning to his opponent, "Well then, I guess we'll have to delay our rematch, sir Aldrich."

"Aye," came Aldrich's reply, "I'll be sure to learn from my shadow in the meantime."

Link chuckled as he sheathed his sword, heading towards the baths before meeting the Sheikah chieftain and her charge fifteen minutes later.

* * *

Zelda's chambers, like their inhabitant, were both extravagantly decorated and totally functional. Situated at the top the northwestern tower of the internal building that contained the royal living quarters, it had a large, royal-purple draped window that overlooked the western portion of the castle, including the courtyard in which she and Link had first met, and, just beyond the external wall, one could just barely make out the roof of the barracks. Along the northern wall was a large, soft-looking bed with royal purple privacy drapes obscuring it slightly. Across from it, along the southern wall, was a sitting area with two cushioned chairs that matched the drapes, a fireplace, and a large, floor-to-ceiling bookshelf fully stuffed with books.

Link took all of this in as he was admitted from the eastern door before spotting the two Hylians he was here to see situated at the desk under the window. Zelda was seated at the desk facing him, while Impa was leaning up against the wall to the left of the desk.

"Link of the Kokiri, reporting as ordered, your highness," Link said, snapping to attention and bowing stiffly.

"At ease," Impa replied, crossing the room to shut the door behind him.

Obeying the order of his superior, Link relaxed and glanced at his royal charge. He met her eyes and saw the carefully concealed humor in them. "Something funny, Princess?"

"It's just, I've never seen or imagined you so formal. It's almost comical," she giggled.

"Well excuuuuuse me, princess! It's not like I can relax with all of my fellow knights looking at me like a boot that just stepped in—"

"Ahem," Impa interrupted their banter, glaring at Link. "As much as I love seeing the two of you bond, there is another reason I called my subordinate to her highness' quarters."

Link jumped, having momentarily forgotten that the Sheikah was present, which did not help the royal giggling, but a quick glare from the elder woman quickly silenced Zelda's mirth.

"Now that I have your attention," Impa continued with a carefully controlled mask, "I have news concerning our investigation into our new friends from the desert."

She gestured to the seating area, addressing Zelda, "this may take a while, so if I may ask for a change of venue?"

"Yes, please sit," was the reply.

"I wasn't asking for myself, princess," Impa stayed with a raised eyebrow.

This prompted an eye roll from the addressed princess, who muttered, "one of these days, I'll get you to think of your own comfort before mine."

"That, my dear princess, will be the day I retire."

There were then a few minutes of shuffling as Zelda moved from her desk chair into one of the luxurious lounge chairs that furnished her quarters and Impa gathered her thoughts.

"Link's intelligence from the future seems to pan out. I've sent a Shiekah messenger to the Gorons, who have communicated their plight in confidence. However, upon the knowledge that their attacker was in negotiations of an alliance with the king, they have vowed to vote nay," Impa stated.

"A fisherman on lake Hylia has also made a discovery. A letter in a bottle, it seems, the contents of which the fisherman insisted on hand delivering to the gates of the castle himself. It seems that Princess Ruto of the Zora has gotten herself in a stinky situation."

Link groaned at this, "please tell me someone's actually going to tell her father. It would definitely save us a lot of grief."

"Yes, the king of the Zoras is being informed by a messenger of the Royal family, along with a request for his presence at the vote next month carried by a Sheikah agent loyal to the king," answered Impa curtly. "He has also been asked to be very observant of King Zora's reaction to the summons and report via messenger hawk as soon as he has a moment of clear skies."

At this point, Zelda decided to speak up, "If Princess Ruto has lost the Zora's Sapphire like in the previous version of history, what should we do?"

"Well, how long does a giant fish like that take to digest a gem," Link asked jokingly.

The resulting glare from the others in the room made him immediately regret saying anything at all, but Zelda felt the need to answer him, "Allowing the Zora Sapphire to be digested by any creature, even one so revered as the great Jabu-Jabu, is a deed as awful as the deeds that have caused this tragedy. We do not even know whether a holy object such as Nayru's pearl would even pass through Jabu-Jabu's gullet, so, if it is requested of us, we must assist the Zora race in their plight."

At that moment, there was a loud tapping at the window, and Link looked over to see a hawk standing at the window. Impa got up to open the window as Link took in the bird's appearance. At first glance, it looked like a normal islander hawk, with a short, hooked beak, a dark brown back, and a speckled, cream-colored crest.

That was where the recognition ended, for this bird had piercing red eyes and dark stripes across its wings and tail. Also, it seemed to have the Sheikah crest patterned into its back in the same dark color as the stripes.

The messenger hawk hopped onto Impa's offered arm and lifted its left talon, revealing a hidden compartment that wrapped around its leg like a compression bandage. Impa released a hidden latch, removed the device, and stroked the bird's beak, signaling for it to depart promptly.

Once the window was closed again, Impa opened the device and removed a small piece folded of parchment. Once it was unfolded, there was a tense silence as she skimmed the document before addressing Zelda, "It seems things are proceeding ahead of schedule. Princess, it's time to get ready for a treaty signing."

Turning to Link, she continued, "Link, you and I will brief the King in half an hour. Suit up and meet me outside the throne room."

* * *

 **1,391 words of content. Wow… next chapter is where things progress a little more quickly. As you might have noticed, I'm not great at writing action, but I'm doing quite a bit of research to procrastinate at school :P. Please let me know if there's anything else I can improve upon!**


	11. Discontent

**A/N: My indecision has reached its apex, and, therefore, I have posted a poll on my profile. The poll concerns the future of this story, and the future of my profile. As I told** **Mazzax Manacry** **via PM, I am considering splitting "the Wrath of Majora" into 3 parts: a childhood portion, which will end with what is revealed on my poll; a** _ **Majora's Mask**_ **portion, with my version of the** _ **Majora's Mask**_ **plot; and an adult era portion, which will pick up after a time jump to complete the events of Ocarina of Time with a happy ending.**

 **As noted in the poll, one option will make the adult era impossible, but that doesn't mean I will be absent. Honestly, idk if I will ever be inspired to write something like this in the future, especially since my senior year of university starts this June, and after that I'll probably be looking for a job in a crime lab as a forensic chemist. Anyway, on to the story!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: all rights to** _ **the Legend of Zelda**_ **and all related properties belong to the geniuses at Nintendo.**

* * *

Chapter 10 — Discontent

As it turned out, the meeting that Link had been ordered to was not, in fact, a signing of an ill-advised treaty with the Gerudo, but it was a private conference between the other, already allied, races of Hyrule and the King.

The letter that Impa had received was a notification that the delegations from other races had arrived and wished to speak with the King immediately, and, as Link looked around the King's private meeting room — accessed through a hidden door in the wall behind the throne — he noticed a few familiar faces, one of which surprised him.

Around the broad, circular table in the room sat the King with his back to a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, and situated to the King's left were arrayed a royal scribe, followed by Darunia, Chief of the Gorons, lounging on what seemed to be a stool made of pure marble, a few Zora, including the shopkeeper, a Sheikah representative from Kakariko village, Impa, and, to Link's astonishment, Saria sat on a small child's chair placed on a stack of four thick tomes, with her feet resting on a stool and both her fairy and Navi chatting amicably with Princess Zelda, who was on her father's right side.

Link was standing guard inside of the entrance, with his sword on his hip, his shield strapped to his back, and a heavy spear in his left hand pointing towards the ten-foot ceiling. Upon her entry, Link raised his eyebrow at Saria, who just winked at him in response. Once everyone had situated themselves and pleasantries were exchanged, the King met Link's eye and subtly nodded.

Knowing his duties well, Link responded by lifting his spear and tapping its base against the stone floor loudly, catching everyone's attention.

The King cleared his throat and prayed aloud, "May the goddess Nayru pour out her wisdom over this meeting; may the goddess Farore ignite those speaking with the fire of her courage; may the power of Din enforce our decisions; and to the goddess Hylia, we give thanks for the peace that blesses our great nation."

The whole room let out a chorus of "amen"s before the King continued, "I bring this conference to order and ask that all of those who object to the impending treaty of peace between the kingdom of Hyrule and the tribe of the Gerudo to speak now or forever hold their peace, beginning with our newest member, Saria of the forest."

With that the meeting began in earnest, with each race speaking their objections exactly as Link knew them: the Deku tree was killed for not giving Farore's Emerald to Ganondorf; Din's Ruby was stolen after a visit from Ganondorf, who requested it, and placed in Dodongo's cavern, causing the monsters inside to become more aggressive, forcing Darunia to seal his race's favorite food source with a large boulder; and Lord Jabu-Jabu falling ill after a visit from Ganondorf, who demanded Nayru's Sapphire, which caused Princess Ruto to be swallowed up by the giant fish.

After the Zora's conclusion, there was a moment of silence as the King stroked his beard in deep thought.

"I must say that this is truly beyond troubling. The fact that Lord Ganondorf personally visited each of your respective races in order to threatened your very livelihoods speaks of the evil that I am now convinced resides within his heart," began the King. "It also speaks of the courage with which each of you has journeyed here, under his very nose, to counsel my decisions."

Turning to Impa, the King ordered with an even more stern countenance, "quadruple the guard on the princess, and discreetly have all of the exits to the Gerudo guest compound surveilled. If Ganondorf so much as stares out of a window longingly, I want to know about it.

"The rest of you will act as though this meeting went smoothly in confirmation of the details of the treaty," he continued to the assembled nobility. "I will call for Ganondorf's delegation to meet with us at sundown tomorrow, claiming to be ready to sign it, and the full force of the Castle Guard will ambush him in the throne room.

"Finally, as this is a most dangerous and clandestine procedure, we must keep the details discussed here exclusively amongst the people in this room. It is likely that Ganondorf will not take this betrayal lightly, so stay vigilant. Dismissed."

There was a cacophony of scraping as the chairs around the table were pushed back and the delegations exited. The King, however, remained seated, which prompted his daughter and her party to remain as well.

* * *

Once the doors were once again shut, the King let out a long sigh that seemed to age him considerably.

"It seems I owe you an apology, my daughter."

"Nonsense," Zelda replied curtly, "you were doing what you thought was best for our kingdom. It is regrettable that our relationship became strained, but all was made right in the end."

This remark was met with a raised eyebrow, "Oh? Who is this young woman and what has she done with my stubborn daughter?"

At this, each occupant of the room showed varying degrees of amusement. Zelda and her father chuckled lightly, which evoked a smirk from Impa, but Link, true to his duty, could not allow his smiling eyes to affect the rest of his face, which remained stoic.

"I still want you to travel to Termina as soon as this mess is through, but it will be more of a vacation than a political visit," the King stated as the chuckles died out. "However, for now, the safest thing for you is to remain under the guard of our best soldiers, including you, young Link."

The directness with which His Highness addressed Link shocked him into stutter out, "t-thank you, Y-your Highness. I endeavor to live up to your expectations."

"Good lad. Now, as much as I would like to allow my daughter to grace Castle Town with her presence once again," at this statement's accompanied stare, Zelda's pointed ears turned a wonderful shade of maroon, "We must keep our personal interactions from indicating our displeasure with the Gerudo."

"I understand. I shall continue to be grounded," Zelda said mournfully.

"For that, I am sorry, my daughter."

* * *

 **Final count: 1,057 words**

 **A/N: once again, I encourage you to review, and please check out my poll!**


	12. Confrontation

**A/N: thank you all for your patience as I finished my Spring Semester!**

 **As some of you have no doubt seen, I have officially closed my poll regarding the future of this series, so thank you to the 3 other people that voted (yeah, that's right, I voted, too XD)! The results can be viewed on my profile.**

 **That said, this endeavor will be long and arduous for me, as I can only brew my creativity in certain times. I promise, however, that this story will be finished eventually.**

 **Disclaimer: all rights to the** _ **Legend of Zelda**_ **and related properties belong to Nintendo.**

* * *

Chapter 11 — Confrontation

When negotiations reconvened for their presumed conclusion a few days later, Link could feel the tension from each delegation as he filed into the throne room in full Hylian Knight's armor, with his magical hip pouches attached to the outside and his Kokiri sword and shield clipped to the belts that were strapped over his shoulder.

Inside the hip pouches, he held only his bag of 30 Deku Nuts and 4 bottles, each containing a trapped fairy, just in case things got ugly.

As he got situated, Link noticed a new man standing near the King. The newcomer had a balding, salt-and-pepper haircut that connected to a thick goatee. He was short, portly, and garbed more ornately than the King, with a long brown robe draped around his shoulders. These features immediately made Link recognize him as Rauru, future sage of light and current High Priest of the sect of the Goddess Hylia, who was superior even to Nayru, Farore, and Din, the three goddesses who created the Triforce, and from whom the Royal Family was descendant.

After everyone had been situated, Rauru began with a prayer to the four Goddesses, after which the King stood to address the crowd of delegations, scribes, and the twenty townspeople who were hoping to see the signing of an historic treaty.

"My dear subjects, delegates, and friends, I am happy today to announce the signing of a new treaty. A treaty that, I hope, will bring hope and prosperity to the peoples of our great nation, but first, I must ask for any objections from my counselors to be voiced now."

The first objection came from Darunia, whose hulking form stood up tall as he proclaimed, "My Lord, I voice the opinion of my people, and I say that the Gerudo might be trustworthy. However, due to certain threats made to the Gorons by their leader, we will not sign this treaty while King Ganondorf leads."

The audience shifted in response while Darunia reclaimed his stone bench, whispering to one another before Rauru produced a gavel from the inside of his robes and rapped the solid wood of his chair's arm once, signaling for immediate silence. Once his order had been acknowledged with the stares of the audience, Rauru nodded to the King, who looked to his personal scribe, who also nodded.

"Very well, Chief Darunia, your objection has been recorded. Are there any other objections?"

This time, the Zora delegate rose from his seat, "My Lord, I, Sidon of the Zoras, speak for my people when I declare that we do not trust King Ganondorf's rule. He has made personal threats towards the Zora nobility and our security. As for the Gerudo as a whole, I believe that we must interact with them more in order for trust to develop."

Once again, the audience began to murmur amongst themselves, and Link noticed that Ganondorf himself had a dark look in his eye, while Nabooru, who was seated to his right, was taking these happenings in with wide eyes, as though she was surprised.

After another echoing impact of Rauru's gavel, the room went silent as Saria stood on her high stool. She looked to a royal mage in the corner and nodded before stating in a magically amplified voice, "Your Royal Highness, I, Saria of the Kokiri, bring grave news in lieu of an objection. The Great Deku Tree, wise guardian of the forest, was poisoned by a Gohma queen, who magically appeared after Ganondorf somehow infiltrated the magical wards of Kokiri Forest to steal the Kokiri's Emerald.

"After one of the other residents of Kokiri Forest vanquished the monster, the Deku Tree revealed that the deed had already been done, and, in his dying declaration, he declared that she had been summoned by Ganondorf himself after his first attempt to take the stone had been thwarted." Another gavel sounded throughout the room as the murmurs returned in increased volume.

"Thankfully, the Spiritual Stone remained hidden, but, nonetheless, the people of the Kokiri do not support this King of Thieves."

At this point, Nabooru looked ready to faint, and Ganondorf's face was downright murderous. Link discretely shifted his stance so that his right hand was ready to grab a Deku Nut and throw it at a moment's notice.

The King cleared his throat and asked, "Lord Ganondorf, do you have any response to these accusations?"

Ganondorf stood and placed his hands forcefully on the table in front of him, "My liege, it seems your councilors are delusional. These vague threats that they speak of never happened, but if they did, none of you would be here right now."

The King met his counterpart's glare with a stern one of his own, "Unfortunately, while the threats are too vague for charges to be brought, the murder of the Deku Tree is substantiated by a dying declaration. Therefore, I have no choice but to place you under arrest for murder, conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit theft, trespassing on holy ground, espionage, and breach of Royal contract. Guards, if you—"

"Why don't we add regicide to the list?" Ganondorf's interjection sounded as though it came from the ceiling, and, to Link, time slowed to a crawl as the Gerudo King's appearance began to fade.

Looking towards the source of the voice, Link saw Ganondorf perched on one of the rafters, preparing a glowing ball of dark magic in his hand. Reacting faster than physically possible, Link reached into his pouch, withdrew a handful of the explosive Deku Nuts, and tossed them upwards with a shout.

As the nuts began their high-fluorescence reaction, Link drew his sword and threw it by the blade at the Gerudo's face as time began to accelerate towards its normal pace.

* * *

To the casual observer, as Ganondorf's voice echoed through the hall, there was a flash and a fleshy slap, before the speaker fell from the rafters, crashing into the Gerudo delegation's table, unconscious. On the floor, a meter away, a small dagger embedded itself in the stone floor.

There was a momentary paralysis among the room before half of the guards drew their spears and advanced to surround the Gerudo and their king. The civilians, delegates, and nobles were each ushered out of the room by the remaining half of the guards, save for one, who walked casually over to the dagger, removed it from the floor, and examined it.

"Huh, that was weird."

* * *

 **A/N: I'd originally planned have the King take Ganondorf at his word, but I figured a little bit of action was needed. That, and I just got sucked into writing.**

 **Please let me know how I can improve on my action sequence. It's the area I struggle most with!**

 **Final word count: 1079**


End file.
